PARENTING March 31, 2003 Issue

A time for caring and nurturing

By Sarah Jane Brokensha

Recently OUR DAUGHTER Katherine came across some eggs that our domesticated "Mother Goose" had abandoned, and Katherine happily took responsibility for them.

Through the experience of "raising" these bundles of fluff, Katherine learned more than I think I could ever teach her about mothering. She also showed me how to be a better parent. And our whole family learned what it means to give one's time and energies to loving others.

When Katherine found the eggs, she persuaded her dad to get an incubator and set it up in his study. She suggested—very sweetly—that it might enrich his "mothering" experience if he would consider sharing her new responsibilities "just the teeniest bit" late at night and when she was at school.